This invention relates to toys, and more particularly, to toys (e.g., robots, animated characters) that may be readily created and modified by changing the die cut shape of flexible packages for holding products (e.g., food stuffs) in a hermetically sealed condition (e.g., isolated from the ambient atmosphere).
Toy manufacturers are inherently concerned with production expenses. Often in preparing plastic toys for mass production, a manufacturer goes through a lengthy mold making process. Injection molding is a primary process for manufacturing plastic parts for toys. Injection molding involves taking plastic of your choice in the form of pellets or granules and heating the plastic until a melt is obtained. Then the melt is placed into a split-die chamber/mold where it is allowed to cool and harden into the desired shape. The mold is then opened and the part is ejected, at which time the cycle may be repeated. While the cost per part is fairly low, the tooling is expensive.
Thermoforming is a technology that produces a three-dimensional structure from a two-dimensional thermoplastic sheet. The three-dimensional structure is formed by heating a thermoplastic sheet and then pulling it down onto a mold surface to shape the sheet. The structure is formed to the shape of the mold surface by vacuum forming. Then the structure is cooled and released from the mold.
A significant contributing factor to the costs of toy making is the speed of machining. Once a designer has conceived an approved design, it is imperative to convert the design concept into a prototype mold quickly since selling seasons are short. The life cycles of many toys are so short that the designers often work on very tight time schedules. Therefore, it would be beneficial to manufacture toys using a more economical solution.
Children today reap the benefits of the number of toys in the marketplace, with many children having thousands of toys to choose from at a store and hundreds of toys at their house. Despite the many available toys, a child generally has only a couple favorite toys. The other toys are either put into storage or sit around waiting for the child""s attention, which is often fleeting. While many parents have ample space for their children""s toys, there are some environments where space is limited. For example, children have limited space for playing with their toys in confined environments (e.g., a car), especially when space in the cramped environment is also needed to store luggage or groceries. For example, there may not always be ample space in a car for the car to hold groceries or luggage, and also to have space for many toys for the child to play with. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide toys that children can play with that can be used for holding a product.
These and other objects of this invention are achieved by providing a toy having an interior for holding a product (e.g., candy, coffee, cookies, foodstuff, etc.) therein. The toy is formed of a flexible material suitable for being hermetically sealed with the product located within its interior. The toy comprises a base having a bottom section arranged for moving against a surface (e.g., floor, wall, table top), and a stand-up sealable package that opens to define the interior. Preferably, the bottom section includes wheels or a transporting mechanism that rotates to roll or otherwise move the base in a predetermined manner. The base also includes an upper section having a predetermined circumference. The sealable package includes a bag or pouch having a front panel and a rear panel sealed to each other along their side edges. Each of the panels includes a lower lip having an outside surface and an inside surface. The inside surface is open to form a lower mouth therebetween. The toy is formed upon coupling the lower mouth about the circumference of the upper section of the base.
In a preferred embodiment, the package also comprises a flexible floor panel sealed to the pouch along the lower lip. The floor panel extends between the base and the interior of the package to close off and isolate the interior of the pouch from the base. In another preferred embodiment, the lower lips of the pouch are directly sealed to the base, preferably about the peripheral sides of the base. The pouch may also include a sealable upper section that opens to provide access to the interior of the pouch. The sealable section is arranged for closing and sealing the product in the interior of the package upon closure of the section. The sealable section may also include a fitment secured to the pouch. The fitment 40 preferably includes a connector (e.g., spout, valve) and a cap. The connector is hermetically sealed to the pouch and provides a conduit for access to the interior of the package. The cap securely attaches to the connector to seal the interior and disconnects from the connector to expose the interior for access therein.
The base preferably includes a motor that turns the wheels as desired to move the base against the surface. The base may also include a steering mechanism to control the direction and speed of rotation of the wheels. The steering mechanism can be adapted to control the wheels based on a signal received from a remote controller.